KARACHI: Speakers at a seminar underscored the need for tackling the escalating mental health crisis within the medical profession that, they said, might also compromise patient safety and long-term sustainability of the healthcare system.

The event, titled “Health and Wellbeing”, was organised at the Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU).

During the discussion, the experts highlighted a stark paradox: those trained to heal others are themselves operating under unsustainable levels of stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout—conditions that not only harm individual doctors and students but also jeopardise patient safety, clinical judgment, and the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems.

They referred to global studies showing medical students experiencing depression at two to five times higher rates than the general population, and more than half of practising physicians reporting burnout.

“Mental health education and early screening are not optional add-ons; they are core elements of medical training. Advocacy must translate into policy, and policy into practice. We need systems that normalise help-seeking and provide structured psychological support,” said senior psychiatrist Prof Iqbal Afridi.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2026